


TANAKA RYUUNOSUKE: Beautiful Stranger

by AussieTeller



Series: SPRING AWAKENINGS: Haikyuu Short Story Collection [5]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aftermath, Aged-Up Character(s), Beach Holidays, Desire, Disappointment, Emotional, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, French Kissing, Heartache, Heartbreak, Heartbreaking, Holding Hands, Implied Sexual Content, Kissing, Lust, Manga & Anime, Manipulation, Mild Sexual Content, Sad Ending, Sad and Happy, Sexy Times, Shame, Surrogacy, Understanding, Walk Of Shame
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:54:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23522644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AussieTeller/pseuds/AussieTeller
Summary: She wasn't Kiyoko...But he wasn't who he was meant to be either...
Relationships: Tanaka Ryuunosuke/Original Character(s), Tanaka Ryuunosuke/Original Female Character(s), Tanaka Ryuunosuke/Reader
Series: SPRING AWAKENINGS: Haikyuu Short Story Collection [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1677367
Comments: 14
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter 1

A strained grunt echoed through the small hotel room - his forehead pressed between her shoulder blades. Instant regret flooding him as he slumped down on the bed beside her. Grabbing her dress, she pulled it back on before sitting beside him and hugging her legs to her chest. 

“Um, sorry,” he mumbled, pulling the covers over the bottom half of his body as he watched her gaze roam the room.

“Don’t be,” she shrugged. “It wasn’t terrible.”

“Gee thanks,” the usually confident male sighed - pressing his head back into the pillow and staring up at the ceiling fan. “It just all happened so suddenly, you know?”

“I  _ was  _ there,” she deadpanned - shoving at his legs beneath the quilt. 

“I’ve just never done anything like this...that...before,” he defended - stumbling over his words like the novice he was.

“Sure...that’s what  _ all _ the girls say when they don’t wanna sound easy after having a one night stand,” she winked with a tight-lipped smirk. 

“In this case it’s actually true though.”

“Whatever you say, Baldy,” she snickered - tapping him on the chest before grabbing her underwear and scooting to the edge of the mattress. “My name’s Aiko, by the way.”

“Ah, um...Ryū,” he spoke - clambering to sit up as she walked away.

With a hand poised on the door handle, she turned back momentarily. “Nice to meet you, Ryū,” she replied with a forced smile. “I’ll see ya around.” And with that, she was gone from his life just as quickly as she’d been thrust into it. 

Flopping back onto the bed - his hands landing up by his head - the male cursed his own existence. He should be thanking the universe for shoving a hot female into his arms that didn’t want  _ any  _ string attached. Right? Isn’t that what all single men want? So why then did he feel so empty?

It all seemed too good to be true. He was in the resort pool and she was lying on a towel in the sun. As was always the case, he began making eyes - shooting the odd overzealous compliment in her direction. And for once in his life, she didn’t serve him with a cease and desist letter. He was winning! Hopping up by the side of the pool, they sat and chatted about nothing in particular, though divulging they were both there on vacation with their families. 

With boredom being a huge factor when you’re stuck inside the confines of a resort - even if it was in paradise - one thing led to another and soon they found themselves frantically undressing in his room. Then, wham-bam thank you ma’am, she was gone again. 

Where was she from? How old was she? She said she’d ‘see him around’, did she mean it like she  _ actually _ wanted to? How were things meant to go in situations like these, after the fact? Did he acknowledge her in the buffet line at breakfast the next morning, or did they act like nothing happened?

Just then, a knock at the door. Springing from the bed and pulling on his pants, the male ran to the door hoping to see the beautiful stranger on the other side, back to chat some more.

“Didn’t pick you for a player, little brother.” The smug look of his sister’s face met him on the other side.

“Whaddya want, Saeko?” He sighed, slumping his shoulders as he walked back into the room - leaving the door open for her.

“Man, it smells like chlorine and sex in here, Bro,” she grimaced as she entered and took a seat in the armchair.

“You can leave the way you came,” he suggested - standing at the foot of the bed and falling face first back onto the mattress.

“Thought you’d be in higher spirits. Did she realise she was too good for you and do a runner?” She chuckled to herself.

“No, nothing like that...and what do you mean she’s too good for me?” He questioned - rolling over to shake his fist in the air. A huge scowl strewn across his face.

“Well for starters she seemed friendly,  _ and  _ doesn’t look like a delinquent. You really do turn most girls off with that buzz cut, you know?”

“I like my hair,” he said softly - sitting up cross legged and running his fingers over his freshly shaved head. “It feels good.”

“You know what else feels good?...a guy you just hooked up with  _ not _ treating you like you have the plague after you’re done.” She was stern and matter-of-fact.

“What a freakin segway,” he lamented - resting his chin in his hands. “I don’t want to ignore her. But it seems like it’s what  _ she  _ wants.”

“How d’yu know that?”

“It was her idea to come up here, and she left as soon as it was over.”

“Shit, Ryū, are you a dud?” His sister cackled - hand over her stomach in hysterics.

“Fuck off, Sis! I don’t need to be dealing with your bullshit right now. The hottest girl who’s ever even touched me, just used me and left me wondering what the hell I did wrong. And if I’m honest, you’re being a real bitch about it.” Standing in front of her, his hand was pointing firmly towards the door as he looked down upon her, trying to be in control.

“OK-OK, I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean it. But it’s hard for me to pass up the opportunity to tease you...Look, maybe I can help. What’s her name?”

“Aiko.”

“Last name?”

“No idea.”

“Goddamn, you pair really did move fast...I hate to say it, Little Bro, but maybe she wants to just leave it at that. You guys are on vacation, it’s not like a budding relationship can bloom in a week.”

“I know, it just doesn’t seem right...how do guys do this all the time?” He pleaded for an answer - beyond dejected and desperate for closure.

“Casual hookups are something  _ both _ sexes can enjoy, Ryū. Not everything has to be romantic, but you’ll understand that more as you get older. You’re only just eighteen…”

“Not helping, Sis,” he exhaled audibly and flopped back onto the bed.

“I can’t do much more for ya,” she stated bluntly. But her little brother just looked so pathetic lying there, and damn it if he didn’t tug at her heart strings. “Fine!” She moaned, letting her head fall backwards. “Just talk to her again. Next time you see her just walk right up to her and see how she responds. You’ll be able to tell pretty quickly if she’s interested or not!”

“Thanks, Sis.”

“Yeah,” she breathed with a roll of her eyes. “Don’t mention it.”


	2. TWO

His beautiful stranger was noticeably absent from the restaurant that evening. Tanaka and his family ate early, and like a borderline stalker, he sat on a wicker lounge chair by the door playing with his phone for a good hour and a half after they’d finished. Eventually giving up, he dragged himself back to his room. Alone. 

Saeko’s voice circled through his ears, over and over repeating the words,  _ you’re a dud, you’re a dud _ till he slapped himself in the face. 

Running a cold shower, he looked at himself in the bathroom mirror before hopping in. He traced his fingers over the pink hand-shaped mark on his cheek before rubbing the hand over his velvety hair - looking at his reflection from different angles. 

_ Maybe I just need to get over it,  _ he thought - vigorously shaking his head and opening the shower door. She’d have given me her number if she wanted to see me again. 

……….

Breakfast was almost over when Tanaka trudged through the restaurant doors at ten-fifteen the following morning. There wasn’t much of anything left, so he grabbed himself an orange juice and popped two pieces of bread into the toaster. Rifling around in the condiments basket for blackberry jam, he settled on strawberry when he couldn’t find any. 

Toast done, he shoved the corner of one piece in his mouth and picked up the plate and glass of juice. Turning towards an empty table, he saw her - back to him - at the juice station where he’d just been. She must have entered after him, and as he stood there like a moron - frozen in time with a chunk of bread hanging out of his face - she turned towards the pastries. There was a split second halt from her when their eyes met before she offered up an emotionless close lipped smile. Then she just stared at him as he continued to stand there. Eventually she let out a breathy exhale and - tucking some hair behind her ear - she ducked around the side of him and picked up some bread of her own. 

Kicking himself for being the epitome of tactlessness, he bit off the corner of toast and allowed the remainder to fall on the plate. “Not much left, hey?” He said with an internal facepalm,  _ no shit dickhead.  _

“You don’t have to make small talk,” she said - chin down. “You don’t owe me anything.”

“I know, but I want to...did you come down with your family?”

“What family?” She shrugged blankly, “as soon as we’re checked in we ignore each other for two weeks. It’s kind of a tradition,” she added with a sarcastic twist. 

“Oh, you can sit with me if you like,” the skittish young man offered. 

“No thanks.” She shut him down before purposefully walking away. If he was dejected before, this took rejection to a whole new level. 

For years he had fawned over his high school crush, Kiyoko Shimizu - his still beating heart being torn out of his chest when he learned she’d been claimed by another. Then, once in his senior year with her out of sight, out of mind - or so he thought - he managed to bag himself a girlfriend. But with her moving away to Hiroshima for university and him due to start his internship as a personal trainer when he got back from the trip, they decided to split amicably. Really only cementing that their feelings had never been that deep in the first place. 

In the three weeks since their split, Kiyoko had been back on his mind again. With a vengeance! 

Did Aiko remind him of her? To be honest, in the beginning what attracted him to her was how cheerful and friendly she seemed. She didn’t stutter with nerves, speaking down and into her fist when talking to him. But now...well it was a different matter altogether. She was dishing out serious bespectacled ravenette vibes and it had him pivoting on the spot. To follow her anyway and force his company, or go be a desperate loner? 

Option two it was. He’d had more than enough rejection for one twenty-four hour period. 

The next twenty minutes were spent in complete silence, and soon Tanaka and Aiko were the only two left in the restaurant. Resort staff came and began gathering the buffet remnants as the distant pair remained fiddling with their cell phones. From time to time their eyes met and they subconsciously took turns to look away first.

Aiko hadn’t expected to stumble across a guy like him - having had more than her full of hot-headed softies. She attracted them, and damn it they took her fancy in return. But this was not the time  _ or  _ the place. 

Why here? Why now? When everything was finally starting to get itself back on track. 

Pushing back from the table, she placed her dirty dishes on the trolley and went to leave. Half way out the door, she cursed herself - backtracking to the guy she’d intended on forgetting. Wiping him from her memory as she closed the door to his room.

Approaching his table, leaned on it with one hand and looked down at him with serious eyes. “I’m twenty, from Saitama prefecture, and here till Sunday. If you can deal with not knowing a single other thing about me,  _ and  _ ending things when we leave this place. Then I’ll meet you after dinner tonight by the main gardens.”

“Ah...um…”

“Up to you, Baldy. You have a think about those terms, and I might see you tonight.”

And with that, she walked away from him again. Blowing in and blowing out like a menace. If the kid had any hair it would have been strewn in all directions to match the slapped arse look he was sporting. 

“Well fuck!” He exclaimed - letting his head fall forward to bang on the table. “Please kill me,” he whispered to the waiter collecting his plate. 


	3. THREE

His hands were plunged deep into his pockets as he walked, scuffing his feet in the loose gravel and questioning why he’d decided to come. 

The sun had already set, painting a beautiful watercolour of the moon atop the gently rippling ocean. Perched on a cliff overlooking the waves, were the beautiful, ornate resort gardens. A large banyan tree - as old as time itself - clung to the edge, its roots jutting out and down. But it was firmly planted, and would outlive any promises ever made at this place. A quaint swing seat hung from a low branch, and Tanaka headed for the spot.

Taking a seat - the tree creaking slightly - he gazed off into the distance. This place was genuinely beautiful, but there was only one person he truly wished to share it with. When he returned home he’d have to find her. There was no way he could continue on with his life without trying. Without speaking to her adult to adult, not Senpai to fanboy. He knew he would be able to prove to her the amazing man he could be. That he already was.

Lost in his own thought, he didn’t realise that Aiko had approached until she sat beside him. Kicking the seat to swing, her hands remained in her lap as she too admired the view.

The pair remained in comfortable silence for several minutes - the rusting of leaves and crashing of waves beneath them proving a perfect ambient soundtrack. Then, out of nowhere, Aiko took one of Tanaka’s hands - sandwiching it between hers and placing it in her lap.

“Do you think you could be my distraction?” She asked softly, her stare remaining steadfast on the horizon.

“Only if you’ll be mine,” he agreed - removing his hand to instead wrap around her shoulders. 

Leaning against him, she exhaled her baggage and breathed in contentment. Because, even if it was just for a few more days, she could relax in his arms and pretend like her real life didn’t exist. 

“I wasn’t sure if you’d come. I’m the first to admit my prerequisites weren’t the easiest to abide by.”

“I’m all for no backstories. I’ll be whoever you want me to be till I walk out those front gates.”

“I want you to be my boyfriend...well, pretend to be anyway. Take the role as seriously as you like, but please...just make me feel special. Treat me how you would if we were in love.”

Tanaka’s heart almost broke - threatening to crack with each word she spoke. She was raw and hurt, and had obviously been damaged in some way. And in her vulnerability, he saw himself. A shell of the brash and confident guy he was at school and on the volleyball court. He didn’t have his friends here, his teammates. He had only himself and a yearning hole.

Taking his free hand, Tanaka cuped Aiko’s cheek - turning her towards him. In her vacant eyes, he could see that she too was willing to be whomever he wanted in return. Two drifters sharing such a tremendous desperation that they were willing to fool their heads for the sake of their hearts.

Running his thumb along the apple of her cheek, he leant forward and gave her the kiss he wished he would give to Kiyoko. Closing his eyes, he imagined it was her thin pink lips kissing him in return, and the slender fingers of her hand now resting on his thigh. 

His arm left her shoulders so their bodies could turn inwards - their touch now exploring each other further, and much more intimately than their first encounter. Wishing for more, Tanaka gripped under her arms and brought her to his lap. Her legs straddled him as the swing began to sway again. He grasped the nape of her neck - their kiss intensifying - fooling each other into believing the moment held true, actually, tangible intimacy.

Her manicured fingernails clawed at his back. His hands fell to her arse as her hips began to grind.

“I love you so much,” he whispered as he pressed his forehead to hers - though not able to murmur her name.

“I love you too.”

Sharing their breath, they remained in their perfectly created bubble of distorted reality, satisfied that they’d made the right call. Because surely fabricated happiness was better than none at all.

Standing, Aiko took Tanaka’s hand again, and led him to the edge of the cliff. The wind blew from behind them, casting her hair across her face as they both moved towards each other again. Another gentle touch cleared her features before bringing her to rest against his chest. Aiko could hear his heart beating a mile a minute, and she smiled. She intrinsically knew he was an amazing young man and would fulfil her how she needed for the time being. Candid, funny, and a hottie to boot. 

“Come on,” Tanaka said - leaving a warm arm around her shoulders, holding her tight. “Let’s go for a walk.”

For several hours they meandered the resort ground from the beach to the wedding chapel. They talked about every nonsensical topic under the moon, laughing, teasing, and making out at every opportunity. It was true that neither would ever fill the void the other had within them. But, at least for as long as they remain in paradise they had found delight in the company of a beautiful stranger.

**THE END**


End file.
